Walk the walk

Starting any business is tough. There are no short cuts, no quick routes up the mountain to success. It’s hard graft and takes patience and perseverance. You’ve got to have a passion for what you do and you have to learn to take the body blows, bust on through and still exude the love.

At the Pure Coaching Academy this week our panel of graduating coaches had the chance in Dragon’s Den style to coach Young Entrepreneur Sol Wright. What they were all impressed with was the confident and determined spirit in which he is building his venture Selvage London. Nevertheless he was open and receptive to their input and together they pushed the ambition of his approach up a good few notches. He reminded us of that feeling we all had before fear and cynicism kicked in, the sense that anything is possible and that the world is our oyster. Here is entrepreneurship talking the talk and walking the walk. What an inspiration.

In the cut and thrust of business it is the fresh new voices that stand out. Recently launched, Selvage London is founded by 20 year old young entrepreneur Sol Wright. This time last year he left UCL where he was studying when he realised that his childhood dream to be an architect was misplaced and what he really wanted to do was run his own fashion business. He transferred to a business degree at Regent’s University and identified a gap in the market- at 6ft 2 he found it hard to get jeans that fit. Not just ‘oh yeah that’s roughly the right size’ but ‘wow these jeans look amazing’. Sol did his research, and knew he could offer bespoke, personalised and tailor-fit jeans in the right price range initially for men with a longer term plan to cater for women. He sourced the denim from a factory in Milan and found a whole sale manufacturers in Birmingham that would do short runs. He created a business plan and approached an angel investor to raise the funds for his first 100 pairs, then he launched his social media campaign to generate interest in his target audience.

But who is his customer? Guys who care what jeans work with which shoes? Well sure, but as most women know their men may look divine in a suit but get them into weekend wear and their style radar falls to pieces. And as we all know, it’s what’s below the belt that counts. Women don’t want the man at their side looking baggy, slouchy and bunched up. These women have invested time, money and effort in their own appearance and just as they wouldn’t pair a worn-out rucksack with their Louboutins, they equally don’t want a hangdog droopy jeans guy on their arm.

So Sol has women in his corner to bring the guys up to speed. Armed with nothing but a tape measure and the Selvage online measuring guide they can kit their men in the perfect fit jeans. Of course the discerning independent thinking male with good taste also now has a platform to design his own jeans wardrobe to match his range of loafers, trainers or boots. Whether the bespoke look is initiated by women or the men themselves, Sol is on a mission to build his business by making men feel “the dog’s bollocks in denim”.

5 Top Coaching tips for the Start-up Entrepreneur

1. Do what you love, because you’ll be doing it a lot

2. Get yourself a Coach to champion you on through the good times and the bad

3. Build up your mental & physical fitness so you are on top form to weather the storms

4. Remember FEAR is not real, it is a consequence of our thoughts, so keep your thoughts laser sharp focussed on the Big Goal

5. Banish naysayers. They’re the ones not taking the risks and not reaching their potential. Surround yourself with people who celebrate success.